With the proliferation of the internet coverage and digital as well as mobile technology, it is easy to assume that just about everyone in the world is online these days. However, that is not quite so. There are still some areas of the planet where, for several reasons, poverty obviously among them, internet services aren’t readily available yet, as aren’t communications and even in electricity, in general. On the other hand, some largely poor and overpopulated countries like those of Asian continent do have access to the internet, and account for a surprisingly large portion of the world’s internet usage. The question of how much of the world is online has thus got a c0mplex rather than straightforward answer.

At the present moment – March 2015 – there are an estimated over 3,089,011,000 internet users in the world, and the number is constantly rising. Given that the world’s population is over 7.1 billion, this means that about 40% of the world’s population is online, or at least has access to the internet. This is a very significant number, seeing as just 20 years ago, in 1995, only 1% of the world used the internet. The biggest growth in global internet usage occurred, however, in a relatively short period of time, as the number of internet users worldwide doubled between 2005 and 2010 (only 16% of the world’s population was using the internet in 2005, but 30% was online 5 years later).

It is also worth noting that, while the growth rate is quite similar, and the portion of internet users is still significantly smaller compared to that of the developed world, the percentage of internet users in the so-called underdeveloped world is now of 31%, as compared to only 8% in 2005. Internet penetration in the developed world, however, was already at 51% then, and the last recorded survey, in July 2013, showed that only 77% of the population of the most powerful countries in the world was online at the time. This is a relatively disappointing growth rate when compared to that of the other, poorer regions of the planet.

It is also worth pointing out that, while not all countries in those areas are considered as enjoying the same level of economic and social development, the vast majority of internet users in the world are in Asia and the Americas. In fact, all top 5 countries in the world with the largest number of Internet are either in America or Asia.

China and India, the two countries with the largest population in the world, are at 1st and 3rd place in the ranking of the countries with the most internet users, in large part due to the proliferation of mobile technology, which made internet access much cheaper and easier for users in poorer countries. But while their numbers are much smaller compared to those of these countries, developed countries such as the United States and Japan have a much higher percentage of internet penetration, with over 80% of their population already online.

All in all, the percentage of the world which is online now is quite remarkable, especially given how far it has come since the service first became widely available in the 90s. But while most of the developed world is already connected to the grid, the developing world is still catching up, which means the number of people online worldwide still has a large interval to grow into, and it shall grow in the next few years with the democratization provided by the increasingly popular mobile industry.

2015 shows a lot of promise in technological advancements. Tech companies have stepped up their game in innovating new gadgets. The heated battle in keeping the market wowed has made major companies think outside the box. Military grade technology can now be found in many households. Here are some of the gadgets I love and you should check them out.

Microsoft Hololens

Microsoft hololens brings augmented reality to life. Microsoft announced earlierin January that they were developing hololens, and it will be ready for mass production and sale in December 2015. Unlike Google which flopped hololens looks like a much stable project. You will enjoy live chats, gaming, surfing and simulating real life events. A cool thing that it will wirelessly charge and taking them off to charge will be a thing of the past. Eyeball trackers fitted with the glasses will keep track of your eyes ensuring that you don’t miss a thing. Let’s hope will deliver on all of its promises.

DJ1 Inspire Drone

Aerial cinematography just got way cooler with the DJ1 inspire. We’ve all been dreaming of owning drones and DJ1 is the industry’s finest drone. The quadcopter can shoot stabilized 4K while in flight. Lovers of aerial filming can attest to the greatness of the DJ1 inspire. The camera takes some of the most striking videos. With carbon fiber arms, you can take 360 degrees videos. The DJ1 has been on everyone’s lips, and everyone is trying to get it.

iPad Air 2

Apple has been consistent with always wowing the world with its gadgets. This time round they still won our hearts with the iPad Air 2, which is lighter and more processing power. It bears a more powerful A8X chip giving the user smoother feel to the IOS 8 feel. As games continue demanding more processing power, Apple decided to add more processing power. The iPad Air is the thinnest ever pad with just 6.1mm and weighs 0.96 pounds. Its portability won’t be an issue since it’s so light that you might forget it’s there.

Dell XPS 13

Dell has done the impossible here in packing a 13.3 inch screen in a lightweight laptop. The screen resolution is QHD and supports touch. If you are looking for a cutting edge laptop Dell XPS 13 is the way to go. The XPS 13 is barely 5mm wide, making it another easily portable laptop. Despite its light weight nature, the XPS 13 is a very powerful machine. With 8gb ram, Intel HD graphics card and 256SSD storage, the Dell XPS 13 is a gadget that you really consider getting. You can get more storage by coughing up some more cash.

Nexus 6

With a whopping 5.9 inch screen makesthe Nexus 6 a must have gadget. The screen is bigger than the iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy. Google has actually outdone all the other phone makers in shipping a huge phone. The phone comes installed with Googles latest Android version. It will support future OS upgrades from Google. It boasts of having 2gb ram and chances of the phone ever lagging near impossible. The big screen supports QHD and is powered by Adreno 420 GPU.

These are some of the must have gadgets for 2015. The list is endless, but these are the five top gadgets in terms of what you should be keeping your eye on.